Odd Baby Bunnies in Accident Litter, Please Help

[ConfusedBunMom]

Ok, Let me start with an intro...

I use to show and raise Holland Lops, but with life happening, we decided that we just don't have the time to do that anymore, so now we just have pet rabbits and rescue rabbits.

We rescued a Female Black Flemish Giant that quickly stole my husband's heart. She is about a year and a half now, and we recently had an accident litter. But there are some odd things about this litter.

Back Story:

About 4 months ago, our flemish girl got out of her area and bred with my old man (he was a standard Rex Broken Black Otter). She had 3 babies, none of them made it. She just didn't take care of them, and they lasted only 4 days. We tried hand raising them, but it just didn't happen.

We had no plans of breeding her again, but being she is large and pushes on the door to her cage, she got out yet again. We moved her into a different part of the house, by herself, but I had put a rescue male Lionhead in the office for Out of cage time and she got out. We caught it pretty quick, but it was too late.

On Friday afternoon, she had a single kit. She didn't nest at all, and we assumed she would have more. We left her alone, but the next morning nothing. So, he was a single baby that she wasn't taking care of. We left him with her hoping that she would figure it out and take care of him.

On Monday Morning (3 am ish), My husband woke me up as she was making a nest, within 15 mins she had 7 more babies! So that is the first odd thing. She never seemed in distress at all, none of the babies were large or dead. We did loss one on Tuesday, appeared to be a runt, not a peanut, but just smaller then the others.

Now here is my question:

3 of the remaining babies have extremely curly whiskers, like a rex. Mom is (as far as we know) Pure Flemish and the only possible father is (as far as we know) pure Lionhead. He is a Broken Tort and one of the straight whiskered babies is a Broken Tort. I have seen random Astex babies in litters, but only one at most in purebred litters. I have heard that Females can retain fetus(s), but never believed this as the truth. Is it possible? I understand that most will assume that she had bred the rex again, but that isn't possible as our old guy passed away before the first litter (of 3 that passed). We have no other non-neutered males, we have not had a rex since our old guys passing. There is no possible way she mated with a rex, as we just don't have one. I, also, understand that the possiblity of mixed rex babies having a rex coat is unlikely, but these guys have tight curled whiskers (coats haven't come in yet)...

So, my question is, is it possible that the 3 babies with the curled whiskers, be from the first breeding? Or do we have some strange genes at work from mom???

Note: all 3 babies from the first litter had extreme curled whiskers. Furthermore, None (minus the 1 smaller straight whiskered baby that is a broken tort like the father) look anything like either parent. Mom is a Black Flemish and dad is a Broken Tort Double Maned Lionhead. As it stand we have:

Curled Whiskers:
REW (Ruby Eyed White)? (Eyes haven't opened yet)
Broken Black (I understand that the black and the broken are both at play here, but our rex was a Broken Black Otter)
Mystery Kit (I believe either Lilac or Blue, but very light)

Straight Whiskers:
2 Broken Black
Broken Tort
REW (again eyes have yet to open)

Can someone answer this for me???

 

[ConfusedBunMom]

 

[Azerane]

I could be wrong, but I thought that both parents had to carry rex, for the rex fur/whiskers to be present (though I could be wrong, happy to be corrected on that). It's possible that it's just some odd genetics at work. Will be interesting to see how they develop though. The circumstances do seem odd to be getting rex characteristics though.

 

[ConfusedBunMom]

I thought both parents had to carry the gene as well, as I'm pretty sure it's recessive. Both Mom and Dad have normal flyback coats, minus the mane on the dad

 

[ConfusedBunMom]

Anyone?

 

[surf_storm]

No idea! With rats both parents have to be Rex for Rex babies it sounds like you have a strange girl!

 

[woahlookitsme]

Rex fur is recessive so they probably won't have rex fur. Only time will tell

 

[ConfusedBunMom]

They have started to fur out and there is a visable difference in fur texture and length, the babies with curled whiskers have shorter fur and rhe texture is just different

 

[OhioRabbits]

Females rabbits can indeed retain fetuses from previous matings. We had this happen with our American Blue/Lilac. She was mated, separated from the male, and gave birth to nine babies. Four weeks later, she had nine more, and then, four weeks after that, four more (the last batch did not make it). At no time did she have access to any other adult rabbits since her original breeding, and her older babies were weaned at five weeks (they were eating solids by then) to allow the younger kits to nurse, so we're certain she wasn't somehow mating with her older babies, even though I doubt it's possible for a rabbit that young to breed.
We were actually quite frightened she wouldn't stop and considered donating her to Ohio State Veterinary School for study if she did it again. Luckily, she hasn't had any more.